'I was fully aware of what would be destroyed.
I did not know what would be built out of the ruins'
-ZORBA

Monday, March 19, 2012

deadly shooting at Jewish school in France

Moped-riding gunman believed to have killed three paratroopers linked to deadly shooting at Jewish school in France

A father and his two young sons are among four people who have been killed following a shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France.

There are now fears that a far-right wing gunman with a grudge against ethnic minorities following the killings outside Ozar Hatorah school.

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old man who was killed he was gunned down along with his two sons, aged three and six. A fourth victim of the shooting at the school to the north east of the city is a child between the ages of eight and 10.

They were gunned down at around 8.10am, just ahead of the start of classes in most schools.

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Sheets shield the body of a victims of the shooting as an investigator photographs evidence at the scene

Pupils are comforted as they leave the school where they were told to wait inside until parents came for them

Emergency services on the scene where at least three people have been killed

Prosecutors say the three dead are a teacher and two children

The shootings are being linked to killings 30 miles away in Montauban

French prosecutor Michel Valet said there were 'several dead' following the shooting.

Parent Patrick Rouimi told Toulouse newspaper, La Depeche, that the gunman targeted people at an informal pick up point for the school.

The daughter of one of the school's directors, Charles Ben Goulding, was also believed to be among the injured.

Gilles Bernheim, the Chief Rabbi of France, said: 'I am horrified by what happened outside a Jewish school in Toulouse today. It has bruised by body and my soul. I am deeply upset and am heading to Toulouse.'

Pierre-Henri Brandet, spokesman for the French Interior Ministry said: 'Prefectures throughout France, particularly in the Southwest, should strengthen surveillance and vigilance around places of Jewish education.'

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the conference of European Rabbis, said: 'As the details of these horrific terrorist attacks emerge, the thoughts of Jewish communities across Europe will be with the families of the victims.

'In recent months antisemitic attacks have been narrowly averted in Azerbaijan and Georgia and sadly, though deeply saddened and outraged, many will be unsurprised by this terrible news.'

Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to visit the scene later today

Forensics teams work outside the school where a father and his two children are believed to be among the dead

Jewish schools across France have been told to tighten security and remain vigilant

People have been gathering at the school since hearing news of the shooting earlier today

Sources say the gunman was wearing a helmet and fled the scene on a black scooter, echoing scenes from last week when three people were killed and a fourth injured.

PROFILING A SERIAL KILLER

Today's shooting prompted fears that a serial killer is on the loose in south west France.

He was today described as a burly ‘lone wolf’ assassin with a tattoo on his face and a grudge against ethnic minorities.

Police profilers have been building up a picture of the suspect following the deaths of seven people in three shootings in less than a fortnight.

All of the victims have been Jewish, black or of North African origin. While there is no absolute proof that all are linked, detectives believe that it is ‘more than likely’ that the same gunman is behind all of them.

Following the murder of three soldiers in Mountauban last Thursday, a female witness named only as Martine said she looked into the eyes of the killer.

‘I was in a tobacconists when I heard the shooting,’ said Martine. ‘I started running and saw the gunman getting away.

‘His visor was lifted up, and I looked into his eyes. He had a tattoo on his face, of that I am sure.’

Police said that CCTV footage of the Mountauban attack also revealed the man to be ‘of medium build and rather stout’, said one detective.

The officer said that all of the officers killed in Mountaban were of North African origin, while the fourth soldier killed in Toulouse a week earlier was from Martinique.

Those killed outside the school today would have been identifiable as Jews because of their skull caps, the officer added.

The precision with which the man has carried out the assassinations also suggests that he may have military training.

Around 60 Toulouse officers are no working on the case round-the-clock, and they have been joined by an Anti-Terrorism unit from Paris.

President Nicolas Sarkozy and interior minister Claude Gueant are expected to visit the scene later today.

The incident comes a week after shootings in Toulouse and Montauban in which three people were killed and a fourth injured.

On every occasion - including this morning's attack - the gunman was wearing a crash helmet with the visor pulled down, and he was brandishing two guns.

He was also wearing black motorbike leathers, and using a black moped, and used the same ammunition.

The same type of 11.43mm calibre automatic firearm was used in all three attacks, officers revealed.

'This morning's attack saw the assassin opening fire outside the Ozar Hatorah college where pupils, teachers and parents were gathering,' said a police source. 'He opened fire with two weapons, firing with precision and determination.'

According to spent cartridges found at the scene, the weapons used were automatic weapon of 9mm and 11.43mm calibre - exactly the same as those used in the earlier attacks.

Last Thursday a man launched his attack on soldiers from an elite parachute regiment who had withdrawn cash from bank in the town of Montauban, about 30 miles from Toulouse.

Two paratrooers aged 24 and 26 died at the scene, while a third, aged 28, died in the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital after receiving a number of shots to the head.

As they lay on the ground with horrific wounds caused by more than a dozen rounds rounds, the killer shot each man in the head, before escaping on a moped.

Nothing was taken from any of the men, and the only evidence left by the killer appeared to be 15 spent cartridges.

Chillingly, the entire bloodbath was captured on CCTV, with police analysing the film for clues as to the murderer's identity.

Following the first two shootings, Michel Valet, the Toulouse prosecutor, said that it was possible that 'the bullet fired in Toulouse and the bullets fired in Montauban came from one and the same weapon'.

Claude Gueant, France's Interior Minister, was travelling to Toulouse this morning, and warned that Jewish schools and places of worship should 'strengthen surveillance and vigilance.'

The shooting is being linked to two incidents last week including the gunning down of two French soldiers (pictured)

Anti-terrorist police are already working on all the killings, with one detective speculating that the assassin could be anything from a 'lone wolf' to a member of gang.

Following the Montauban attack, the local mayor Brigitte Bareges said: 'No-one understands this. The regiment does not understand.

'There's never a valid explanation for murder but we're dealing with a true killer.'

Within an hour of this morning's attack, search helicopters could be seen flying overheard, with patrols searching for the man.

France, which has soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, has received a number of terrorist threats in recent years, but local police have also speculated that a far-right fanatic could be behind the attacks.